Running to improve your fitness with Krav Maga:Aqua combat conditioning workout'.

Running is a great cardiovascular builder. 
Whether you are running for peak fitness, to
burn those calories or shift excess fat, this
is the one exercise that fits the bill.

All you need is a pair of good trainers and
an open space and you are away. Sorted!

If you are running to improve your fitness with Krav Maga
 then your training must
mirror this.

Hours of 'roadwork' will, in the end, take
up too much time in your training schedule.

Running on roads can be TOUGH on the joints,
especially knees and ankles. Thirty to forty
minutes on hard road surfaces is probably
enough.

Grass has less impact on the joints. Parks,
football pitches, and woodland trails are all
GREAT running spots, and have a less polluted
atmosphere.

Alternatively you can run on a treadmill to
do your training (personally I find this mind
numbingly boring).

What is the best type of running for combat
athletes? In my experience the best two types
of running are interval and hill running. 

By varying your pace you can give your heart
and lungs a GREAT work out while developing
the explosiveness that you need.

Look for a marker, for example a tree, lamp
post, park bench or car and then sprint FULL
tilt towards it. Once there, return to your
steady pace running, so you are gathering some
active rest before the next sprint.

The time you leave between sprints is up to
your personal fitness and where you are in
relation to your fight preparation."The problem I find when it comes to training
and fitness, is routines can get boring.

Kevin O'Hagan - one of Europe's best self
defence instructors and trainer of many top
fighters, tells how to do a very
'different' workout, his 'Aqua combat
conditioning workout'.

This awesome workout is all done in a
swimming pool.
"If you don't fancy pounding the streets or
going to the gym then this workout makes a
welcome change. I developed it into a full
blown workout that is both demanding and
invigorating.

You will be pleasantly surprised just how
difficult it can be. It will get the lungs
working, the heart PUMPING and those muscles
straining. You can make this as long and
intense as you like.

Firstly swim four lengths of the pool SLOWLY.
Now do four lengths as FAST as you possibly
can. Then go back to four lengths slowly
etc etc. It's up to you how many you do.

Next start in the shallow end and do water
sprinting to the deep end and back again.
Go for six lengths or more. To perform this
just pump your arms and legs as you would
running on land.

The water's resistance will work against
you and really BLAST the cardio system and
improve your explosive power.

Next get waist deep in the water and perform
jumping knee tucks. Once you have done these
now do jumping lunges.

The abs can be worked by knee raises and leg
raises from the edge of the pool or in the
water for added resistance.

Now tread water for a few minutes and then
finish with ten FAST lengths of the pool
and you are done!

The workout should take somewhere between
twenty to thirty minutes.It needs to be
constant with no rest.

Do not exercise on a full stomach or after
drinking. It goes without saying, get yourself
checked out with medical advice, especially if
you have not done anything very intense like
this recently."